A VINTAGE Cheltenham which yielded 14 victories for horses trained on this side of the Irish Sea represents the obvious starting point for a review of the National Hunt year.

Seven of those 14 triumphs were supplied by the incomparable Willie Mullins and, not for the first time, it did seem at various points during the meeting that Mullins was taking on the home team singlehandedly. This was made all the more remarkable when one considers that in the weeks leading up Cheltenham the trainer was forced to rule out horses the calibre Faugheen, Arctic Fire and Killultagh Vic.

On the back of a warm-up in a three-runner event at Punchestown in February, Annie Power proved herself to be one of the great jumping mares with her Champion Hurdle triumph. It is still hard to know where the summit of her abilities lie and a similar remark applies to her exceptionally versatile stablemate Vroum Vroum Mag who stepped into the breach to land the mares’ hurdle on the same afternoon.

Sadly, 2016 was also the year in which the recently deceased Vautour made his final appearance at Cheltenham. A late and contentious switch to the Ryanair Chase meant that this brilliant gelding made it three wins from as many visits to the meeting. His win in the JLT Novice Chase the previous year is perhaps one of the most stunning displays that Prestbury Park has played host to in recent decades.

The brilliant Douvan, who would successfully complete the Cheltenham-Aintree-Punchestown treble, was his usual clinical self in the Arkle. Yorkhill excelled in besting local hotpot Yanworth in the Albert Barlett while Black Hercules made it 50 winnners at the meeting for Ruby Walsh when digging deep in the JLT. Limini upheld the long held belief that she would win the inaugural running of the mares’ novice hurdle.

A tremendous Cheltenham which was followed by an excellent Aintree gave rise to the extraordinary prospect of Mullins landing the British trainer’s title. Ultimately his battle with Paul Nicholls went down to the wire and the latter held off Mullins on the final day of the season but to come within touching distance of such a prize represents a truly remarkable effort.